2014 week 5 in review: the news that you might have missed

It’s been a busy week with events ranging from small (pre-orders and such) to large (the sale of a cornerstone company). Here's the week in review with all the must-know events of the past few days.

The big news, of course, is that Google sold Motorola to Lenovo. Motorola virtually invented mobile phones but its recent history has been less than glamorous with poor quarterly financials.

Google bought Motorola for a whopping $12.5 billion in 2011 and sold it this week for $2.9, but it may not have spent as much as you would think. Plus, Google kept the patent licenses and the forward-looking Project Ara.

Samsung unveiled an affordable phablet line with the Galaxy Note 3 Neo, essentially a faster Note II with Note 3 looks. Our review of the device is now live too!

If you're on the lookout for a new phone or tablet, you should be aware of several launches. First, the super mini Sony Xperia Z1 Compact went on sale in the UK and Germany, as did the entry-level Xperia E1.

While new devices are entering the market, the previous flagship are finding it increasing hard to stay afloat – the revelation that the iPhone 5c is under-performing contributed to Apple's stock taking a hard hit, despite a solid quarter.

There were a number of notable leaks this week too. A photo seemingly confirmed the Galaxy S5 will have a 16MP (or even 21MP). Speaking of leaked photos, samples from the Xperia Z1 successor codenamed Sirius hit the web too. The LG G Pro 2 also leaked, but with more solid evidence and the Android-powered Nokia X (Normandy) hit the rumor mill a couple of times.

Samsung might have a Tizen phone to show us at the MWC, like the Z9005, while Microsoft may be readying Windows Phone 8.1 with a notification center for its BUILD conference in April.